Tina Shanduka is a young woman who is visually impaired. I got blind in 2014 from a condition known as Uveitis which ended up causing Sclerotic. When I got blind, at first I felt like I was in a dream which I was yet to wake up from. But when reality struck, I was shattered and felt like the Heavens have forsaken me. My world was torn apart and it left me feeling like I did not exist anymore. I became all hopeless as if everything was taken away from me. This happened at a stage in life when I was managing my own business which involved cross boarder trading. Unfortunately I could not carry on but was forced to stop and focus on my sight that was deteriorating day by day. In one of the days, a thought crossed my mind and it said ‘when one door closes, another door opens’. From there I picked up the broken pieces and I pursued towards the academic path. In 2016 I then enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe and graduated in 2019 with an upper second class degree in BSc Honors in Political Science. The fact that I was alive meant that I still have a purpose to serve in this world. This became my driving force towards fulfilling that purpose. This as well was cemented by my spiritual faith. My achievements involve representing women with disabilities in different forums and platforms, Advocating for equality, inclusion and the rights for women and girls with disabilities. Was part of the team that advocated for the participation of persons with disabilities in party politics?
My dream is to see a world were women with disabilities are given the opportunity to be fully educated, empowered and their rights respected. An inclusive society where information and infrastructure is accessible and equal opportunities in as much as women with disabilities are concerned. For instance, women with disabilities occupying high positions in the economic, social and political arena in order to influence decision and policy making in matters that concern them. Lastly, to be a family woman holding the motherly position.
